Foreign Soldiers Now Fighting Alongside Ukrainian Troops

SENIOR MEMBER

Russia has been denying claims that they have their troops in Ukraine aiding the rebels. Apparently the West which declared they wouldn't offer military aid to Ukraine have done just that by allowing Western mercenaries to join the Ukrainian troops. Much as Poroshenko says peace is what he wants, Ukraine may find itself facing the full force of the Russia's military pretty soon.

The port city in eastern Ukraine, under Kiev’s control, saw a surge of violence on Saturday, when several rockets hit a residential area in the east of the city, reportedly killing 30 civilians. Numerous videos from the scene showed destruction in the aftermath of the attack, for which local militia and Ukrainian troops blamed each other.

But among footage shot in Mariupol, there are some videos showing armed men in military uniform, who speak English fluently.

One video uploaded on YouTube is apparently raw footage of a local news channel MSN (Mariupol News Service). One episode shows a man passing resolutely by the camera.

The man holds a carbine in his hand and is wearing a tactical vest. As the correspondent points her microphone with a request to comment, the man covers his face with the other hand and says, “Out my face, out my face!”

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The other piece is longer and apparently shows another armed man in uniform sweeping the area for unexploded munitions. The man behind the camera is apparently a guide, as he speaks in English with a clear accent. But the person he films speaks as if her were a native speaker.

“May be exploded, may be not, so blow up in situ,” he instructs at a crater left by an artillery hit.

The footage then shows a building with shattered windows signposted as the No 42 kindergarden in Mariupol. The building is in Kiyevskaya Street where the barrage hit.

The video description claims the person is an American member of the Azov voluntary battalion, but offers no proof of this. The uniforms features a round blue-and-yellow patch on shoulder, but its details are indistinguishable as is the man’s face.

The presence of foreign volunteers among Ukrainian voluntary battalions is no secret. Earlier media reports said many of them have right-wing leanings or even Nazi sympathies.

However, so far claims of private military contractors (PMCs) like the infamous Blackwater working in Ukraine remain unproven. Such a presence would indicate a more substantial military support for the Ukrainian government by its foreign backers, since governments usually keep an eye on PMCs working in politically challenging environments.

If a Western government didn’t want a PMC to sign a contract with Ukraine, it would find a way to put leverage on it. Finding such specialists complimenting Ukrainian troops would suggest the actual support for Kiev is a tad higher than the purely non-lethal assistance officially offered to Kiev by the West.

MEMBER

Once again this reported has very little clue on what he/she is talking about. If we were talking about PMC, then they would be working for a company that would be working for the government of Ukraine, or one of it's departments or even for a corporation with assets in Ukraine. A: There would be legal documents about this. B: They wouldn't be soldiers, they would be civilian security personnel. C: They wouldn't be fighting the war, but rather protecting what ever they are being paid to protect.

In reality it's just foreign volunteers who go there to help Ukraine because they feel that what Russia does is not just. And most of them work away from the frontlines, training the Ukrainians and helping them with more advanced stuff such as UXO and intel analysis. Yes of course these people are ex soldiers, it doesn't mean the western countries sent them. But of course "American Goes to Ukraine to Help the Locals Fight" doesn't sell papers like "Super Secret American Mercenaries Fighting For Money In Ukraine"

MEMBER

There are always a bunch of thrill seekers doing stupid things to get a rush of adrenaline. I'm not sure if it's in Ukraine's interest to have foreign fighters involved in their conflict, but then again maybe they can't do much harm either.

MEMBER

The question is: will this make any difference? Will this change the outcome of the war? I am hoping but reality may contradict me. It's great to know that Ukraine is receiving support from other nationalities but I hope these soldiers know what they're in for. It's too late to back down now after they've chosen this risky path.

It certainly does make a huge difference. All Russia needs is an excuse to send troops to "protect" Russian-speaking ethnic Ukrainians in Eastern Ukraine. What would direct Russian intervention mean for Ukraine? Ukraine loses the rebel-held territory forever.